SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Book Discussion
  • Heavy Medal Mock
  • Process

November 19, 2011 by Nina Lindsay

How we got here

November 19, 2011 by Nina Lindsay   2 comments

Wendy asked for a little more insight into how we choose our shorlist.

Some of the first choices are arbitrary.  There is a limit to the number of books that be discussed effectively in one afternoon, and that people are willing and able to read.  We’ve always worked with 8, but this year we’re going to try shuffling our agenda (with an earlier start for first-timers) to allow for 10.  Also, it must be published no later than October.  Otherwise libraries do not have it available in time for everyone to read.  The way our discussion works, everyone who votes must have read every book.  Too often, when we’ve tried to slip in a late-pub date book, several people are not able to get to it.  Because for us the value is in the process and experience of the discussion more than the prediction, participation is really our first criteria in a shortlist.

Secondly, it’s important that the books that Jonathan and I choose are ones that we ourselves believe are contenders.  Books that we can defend for the award.  There’s always enough of them to make up our shortlist, and since we lead the discussions (we sometimes have 2 tables depending on attendance) we want to be able to represent the various ways in which books can meet the criteria.   This doesn’t mean that we don’t think our books have flaws, or that we agree on every single title (there’s often some his/hers favorites in there…) but if we put up a book for discussion that we both feel is weak, then we do a disserve both to the book and to the discussion experience.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

To build the shortlist, we trade a lot of emails…usually identifying a very few mutual “must haves” and a group of “maybes” and a long list of “need to reads before we decide.” We sometimes split up the reading on that last list if we’re in a crunch, but we do both read every title that ends up on our list.   As we look at the list, we start looking for “tokens”…trying to make sure we represent a good breadth of types of books at the same time we’re picking strong contenders.  So our “maybe” list may subdivide: 2 or 3 possible picture books…do we have a humorous one? A fantasy? A historical ficiton?  Older? Younger? We can’t get everything on there, but we try to make sure we consider them all.   I also always look at diversity of authorship…only because I believe that a more diverse group of authors gets you a more diverse group of styles/voices.    When we broaden like this, we’re trying to bring various representation to our “consideration” list…but we rarely make a final decision on a title based purely on its “category.”

We do consider all of your comments as we do this…even if we can’t respond to every single one. And I generally privately solicit ideas from colleagues whose opinions I know, and trust, and –bonus– are different than mine.  Many of these people are reviewers, or review media editors, or award committee chairs or members.  Where confidentiality is required, my question goes something like this: “So, Jane Doe.  Here’s the titles Jonathan and I are considering for our shortlist.  If you were me, what other titles would you want to consider for my Mock Newbery discussion?”

In the final rounds, as we’re haggling over the last slots on the shortlist, there are two considerations that I keep at the front of my mind: What kind of literature is not yet represented on the list?  And… what will round out the list in a way that will make people want to participate fully?

Jonathan and I have a good mix of overlapping and divergent tastes and opinions.  Our shortlist are always, we hope, a little out of the ordinary, definition-stretching, and ultimately fun to read.  They necessarily leave out a wide swath of potential winners…  because, if we’re all doing our jobs, there’s always a lot more than 8 or 10 distinguished books published for children in a year.   And because publishers like to save some of their best titles for November, darn it to heck.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Nina Lindsay

Nina Lindsay is the Children's Services Coordinator at the Oakland Public Library, CA. She chaired the 2008 Newbery Committee, and served on the 2004 and 1998 committees. You can reach her at ninalindsay@gmail.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2023

FREEWATER wins the Newbery Medal, live reactions from Heavy Medal bloggers

by Nina Lindsay

January 2023

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Webcast Results

by Nina Lindsay

December 2022

Calling all Mock Newbery Enthusiasts: Join the 2023 Heavy Medal Award Committee

by Nina Lindsay

October 2022

Two More Titles: November Nomination Time

by Nina Lindsay

September 2022

85 Books to Consider: Mock Newbery Suggestions Updated

by Nina Lindsay

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

2023 Books from Pura Belpré Winners

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Newbery / Caldecott 2024: Spring Prediction Edition

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Pardalita | Preview

by Brigid Alverson

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Why Teens Should Read Hard History, a guest post by Lesley Younge

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey Try Something New

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

A Long Time Coming: Angeline Boulley's 'Firekeeper's Daughter' Takes 2022 Printz Award

2021 Youth Media Awards Winners

Children’s Publishing World Reacts to Michaela Goade's History-Making Caldecott Medal, Rest of the YMA Winners

SLJ Reviews of the 2023 Youth Media Award Winners

Fantasy Award Contenders Layer Identity and Imagination | Pondering Printz

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jonathan Hunt says

    November 19, 2011 at 4:12 pm

    I’m quite pleased with our shortlist: 50% middle grade fiction, 20% nonfiction, 10% chapter book, 10% picture book, and 10% easy reader. It’s not a typical Newbery shortlist, but it more closely resembles the kind of balance you’d likely see if you were on the committee getting nominations throughout the fall.

  2. Briar says

    November 21, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    FYI: Mock Newbery Nominations today. We shall see what the Middle School does to the equation, but if it was up to the 4th Graders alone, our finalists would be:
    INSIDE OUT & BACK AGAIN
    WONDERSTRUCK
    SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS
    THE BOY AT THE END OF THE WORLD
    WORDS IN THE DUST

    OKAY FOR NOW is trailing them by a bit. We will see what happens this afternoon!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Other Mock Newbery Sites

    • Anderson’s Bookshops
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Reads Mock Newbery
    • Northport-East Northport PL
    • Rhode Island OLIS
  • Resources

    • Jen J's Starred Reviews Spreadsheet
    • Newbery Manual
    • Newbery Medal & Honor Books
    • Newbery Terms & Criteria
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023